Health-related quality of life in elderly cardiac patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation and the association with exercise capacity: The EU-CaRE study.

AIMS: The ability to be physically active is pivotal to the quality of life in elderly patients. This study aims to describe the association between exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and depression following an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program in elderly cardiac patients. METHODS: Patients aged ≥65 years with acute and chronic coronary syndrome or heart valve surgery were consecutively included from 8 CR centers in 7 European countries. Exercise capacity (VO2peak(ml/kg/min)) was assessed with a cardiopulmonary exercise test (97%) or a six-minute walk test. Outcome variables included HRQoL (SF-36 physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS)), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). Mixed models were used to address the association between baseline and the development in VO2peak, and outcome variables stratified on sex, and adjusted for baseline values, age, and CR center. RESULTS: A total of 1,633 patients were included (T0), 1,523 (93%) completed end-of-CR assessment (T1), and 1,457 (89%) 1-year follow-up (T2). Women had higher % of predicted VO2peak, but poorer scores in HRQoL, anxiety and depression at all time-points. All scores improved in both sexes at follow-up. We found significant associations between VO2peak at baseline as well as development in VO2peak and all outcome variables at T1 and T2 in men (all p < 0.001). In women, VO2peak was only associated with PCS scores (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in exercise capacity was strongly associated with improvements in HRQoL and mental health, however with stronger associations in men. The results highlight the importance of physical fitness for HRQol and mental health. The findings from this study might be useful to better target individual CR programs.

This study explores the association between exercise capacity and the well-being of elderly cardiac patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program, focusing on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and depression. Key Findings:Women, despite having higher percentages of predicted exercise capacity, consistently reported poorer HRQoL, anxiety, and depression scores compared to men at all assessed time points.Improvements in exercise capacity were strongly associated with positive changes in HRQoL and mental health, with these associations being more pronounced in men.

Long-term effects of cardiac rehabilitation after heart valve surgery - results from the randomised CopenHeartVR trial.

Aims. The CopenHeartVR trial found positive effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on physical capacity at 4 months. The long-term effects of CR following valve surgery remains unclear, especially regarding readmission and mortality. Using data from he CopenHeartVR Trial we investigated long-term effects on physical capacity, mental and physical health and effect on mortality and readmission rates as prespecified in the original protocol. Methods. A total of 147 participants were included after heart valve surgery and randomly allocated 1:1 to 12-weeks exercise-based CR including a psycho-educational programme (intervention group) or control. Physical capacity was assessed as peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing, mental and physical health by Short Form-36 questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and HeartQol. Mortality and readmission were obtained from hospital records and registers. Groups were compared using mixed regression model analysis and log rank test. Results. No differences in VO2 peak at 12 months or in self-assessed mental and physical health at 24 months (68% vs 75%, p = .120) was found. However, our data demonstrated reduction in readmissions in the intervention group at intermediate time points; after 3, 6 (43% vs 59%, p = .03), and 12 (53% vs 67%, p = .04) months, respectively, but no significant effect at 24 months. Conclusions. Exercise-based CR after heart valve surgery reduces combined readmissions and mortality up to 12 months despite lack of improvement in exercise capacity, physical and mental health long-term. Exercise-based CR can ensure short-term benefits in terms of physical capacity, and lower readmission within a year, but more research is needed to sustain these effects over a longer time period. These considerations should be included in the management of patients after heart valve surgery.

Reintervention rates following bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement-a Danish Nationwide Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Updated European guidelines recommend annual echocardiographic evaluation after bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement (bio-SAVR). Given the increased demand on health care resources, only clinically relevant controls can be prioritized. We therefore aimed to explore reintervention rates following bio-SAVR. METHODS: From the nationwide Danish Register of Surgical Procedures, we identified all patients ≥40 years with isolated bio-SAVR ± concomitant coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) during 2000-2016. In 90-day reintervention-free survivors, we assessed aortic valve reintervention rates (primary outcome) and all-cause mortality rates (secondary outcome) at 1, 3 and 5 years with total follow-up until 31 December 2017 and further estimated annual theoretical echocardiographic control visits. RESULTS: In 10 518 patients with bio-SAVR (+CABG 39.7%), we observed low reintervention rates at 1, 3 and 5 years, but with high rates of all-cause mortality; i.e. 5-year reintervention rate of 3.7/1000 person-years (≤1.5%) and 5-year mortality rate of 21.7/1000 person-years. Accounting for the competing risk of death, 5-year rates were inversely related to age group and remained relatively low across all age categories but increased gradually in the long term. A significant proportion of reinterventions were presumed due to infectious endocarditis (48% at 3 years, 37% at 5 years). With annual transthoracic echocardiography, the theoretical ratio of echocardiographies per reintervention in the first 5 years was 248, and 425 when endocarditis events were excluded. CONCLUSION: Reintervention rates within the first 5 years following bio-SAVR were relatively rare, and with a substantial number due to endocarditis.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults after heart valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: The impact of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) following heart valve surgery is uncertain. We conducted an update of this systematic review and a meta-analysis to assess randomised controlled trial evidence for the use of exercise-based CR following heart valve surgery. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of exercise-based CR compared with no exercise training in adults following heart valve surgery or repair, including both percutaneous and surgical procedures. We considered CR programmes consisting of exercise training with or without another intervention (such as an intervention with a psycho-educational component). SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials (CENTRAL), in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE (Ovid); Embase (Ovid); the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; EBSCO); PsycINFO (Ovid); Latin American Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS; Bireme); and Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science (CPCI-S) on the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) on 10 January 2020. We searched for ongoing trials from ClinicalTrials.gov, Clinical-trials.com, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform on 15 May 2020. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials that compared exercise-based CR interventions with no exercise training. Trial participants comprised adults aged 18 years or older who had undergone heart valve surgery for heart valve disease (from any cause) and had received heart valve replacement or heart valve repair. Both percutaneous and surgical procedures were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted data. We assessed the risk of systematic errors ('bias') by evaluating risk domains using the 'Risk of bias' (RoB2) tool. We assessed clinical and statistical heterogeneity. We performed meta-analyses using both fixed-effect and random-effects models. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence for primary outcomes (all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalisation, and health-related quality of life). MAIN RESULTS: We included six trials with a total of 364 participants who have had open or percutaneous heart valve surgery. For this updated review, we identified four additional trials (216 participants). One trial had an overall low risk of bias, and we classified the remaining five trials as having some concerns. Follow-up ranged across included trials from 3 to 24 months. Based on data at longest follow-up, a total of nine participants died: 4 CR versus 5 control (relative risk (RR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26 to 2.68; 2 trials, 131 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low). No trials reported on cardiovascular mortality. One trial reported one cardiac-related hospitalisation in the CR group and none in the control group (RR 2.72, 95% CI 0.11 to 65.56; 1 trial, 122 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low). We are uncertain about health-related quality of life at completion of the intervention in CR compared to control (Short Form (SF)-12/36 mental component: mean difference (MD) 1.28, 95% CI -1.60 to 4.16; 2 trials, 150 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low; and SF-12/36 physical component: MD 2.99, 95% CI -5.24 to 11.21; 2 trials, 150 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low), or at longest follow-up (SF-12/36 mental component: MD -1.45, 95% CI -4.70 to 1.80; 2 trials, 139 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low; and SF-12/36 physical component: MD -0.87, 95% CI -3.57 to 1.83; 2 trials, 139 participants; GRADE quality of evidence very low).  AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Due to lack of evidence and the very low quality of available evidence, this updated review is uncertain about the impact of exercise-CR in this population in terms of mortality, hospitalisation, and health-related quality of life. High-quality (low risk of bias) evidence on the impact of CR is needed to inform clinical guidelines and routine practice.

Greater burden of risk factors and less effect of cardiac rehabilitation in elderly with low educational attainment: The Eu-CaRE study.

AIMS: Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of cardiovascular health. The aim of this study was to describe the immediate and long-term effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) across socioeconomic strata in elderly cardiac patients in Europe. METHODS AND RESULTS: The observational EU-CaRE study is a prospective study with eight CR sites in seven European countries. Patients ≥65 years with coronary heart disease or heart valve surgery participating in CR were consecutively included. Data were obtained at baseline, end of CR and at one-year follow up. Educational level as a marker for socioeconomic status was divided into basic, intermediate and high. The primary endpoint was exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak)). Secondary endpoints were cardiovascular risk factors, medical treatment and scores for depression, anxiety and quality of life (QoL). A total of 1626 patients were included; 28% had basic, 48% intermediate and 24% high education. A total of 1515 and 1448 patients were available for follow-up analyses at end of CR and one-year, respectively. Patients with basic education were older and more often female. At baseline we found a socioeconomic gradient in VO2peak, lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factors, anxiety, depression and QoL. The socioeconomic gap in VO2peak increased following CR (p for interaction <0.001). The socioeconomic gap in secondary outcomes was unaffected by CR. The use of evidence-based medication was good in all socioeconomic groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found a strong socioeconomic gradient in VO2peak and cardiovascular risk factors that was unaffected or worsened after CR. To address inequity in cardiovascular health, the individual adaption of CR according to socioeconomic needs should be considered.

Employment status before and after open heart valve surgery: A cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Detachment from the workforce following open heart valve surgery is a burden for the patient and society. The objectives were to examine patterns of employment status at different time points and to investigate factors associated with a lower likelihood of returning to the workforce within six months. METHODS: A cohort study of patients aged 18-63 undergoing valvular surgery at a Danish tertiary centre from 2013-2017. Return to the workforce was defined as being employed, unemployed (still capable of working) or receiving paid leave of absence. The association between demographic-, clinical characteristics (including a surgical risk evaluation, EuroScore), and return to the workforce were investigated with a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: In total, 1,395 consecutive patients underwent surgery, 347 were between 18 and 63 years and eligible for inclusion. Of those, 282 were attached to the workforce before surgery and included in the study. At the time of surgery, 79% were on paid sick leave. After six months, 21% of the patients (being part of the workforce before surgery), were still on sick leave. In the regression model, prolonged sick leave prior to surgery (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23-0.79) and EuroScore ≥ 2.3 (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.21-0.74) significantly reduced the likelihood of returning to the workforce. CONCLUSION: One-fifth of patients in the working-age were on sick leave six months after surgery. Prolonged sick leave prior to surgery and a EuroScore ≥2.3 were associated with a lower likelihood of returning to the workforce.

Causes and characteristics associated with early and late readmission after open-heart valve surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to describe the causes of readmission from discharge to 30 days and from day 31 to 180 after discharge and to investigate the characteristics associated with overall and cause-specific readmissions after open-heart valve surgery. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective cohort of 980 patients undergoing open-heart valve surgery from 2013 to 2016. Time to the first readmission was analyzed using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Results are reported as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: In total, 366 patients (37%) experienced unplanned cardiac readmission within 180 days after discharge. Within 30 days after discharge, the most frequent causes of readmission were pericardial/pleural effusions (n = 87), infections (n = 50), and atrial fibrillation/flutter (n = 45). Accordingly, infections (n = 32) were the most common cause from day 31 to 180. No powerful predictors of overall cardiac readmission were identified, but several characteristics were associated with cause-specific readmissions: age ≤65 years (HR: 1.85; CI: 1.18-2.88), male gender (HR: 1.85; CI: 1.11-3.09), high alcohol intake (HR: 1.99; CI: 1.22-3.24) and mitral valve procedures (HR: 1.86; CI: 1.11-3.10) were associated with readmissions due to effusions. Ischemic heart disease with a prior percutaneous coronary intervention (HR: 2.94; CI: 1.53-5.63), mitral valve procedures (HR: 2.10; CI: 1.23-3.59), and postoperative atrial fibrillation/flutter (HR: 1.71; CI: 1.03-2.85) were associated with atrial fibrillation/flutter readmissions. CONCLUSION: Predicting overall readmissions after open-heart valve surgery is difficult as causes of readmissions vary and different causes are associated with different characteristics. Future studies should target reducing cause-specific readmissions.

Measuring HRQoL following heart valve surgery: the HeartQoL questionnaire is a valid and reliable core heart disease instrument.

PURPOSE: Patient-reported health-related quality of life is a complementary healthcare outcome and important when assessing treatment efficacy. Using COSMIN methodological recommendations, this study evaluates the validity and reliability of a core heart disease-specific health-related quality of life questionnaire, the HeartQoL questionnaire (Danish version) in a sample of patients following heart valve surgery. DESIGN: This project involved a cross-sectional validity study and a test-retest reliability study. METHODS: Eligible patients completed the HeartQoL, the SF-36 health survey questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale following heart valve surgery. Construct validity was tested using a priori hypotheses. Internal consistency reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. An independent sample of patients participated in the test-retest study and reproducibility was determined with relative [intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC)] and absolute reliability [standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC)]. RESULTS: Internal consistency was high with Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.87. ICC was 0.86-0.92. SEM ranged from 0.17 to 0.26 points and SDC ranged from 0.5 to 0.7 points. Construct validity was confirmed with 87% of all a priori hypotheses for predicted variables. CONCLUSIONS: The HeartQoL questionnaire demonstrates acceptable construct validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reproducibility in patients following heart valve surgery. Future studies should focus on assessing the responsiveness of the HeartQoL questionnaire over time and following heart valve surgery.

Patient perceptions of experience with cardiac rehabilitation after isolated heart valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence exists on whether cardiac rehabilitation is effective for patients after heart valve surgery. Yet, accepted recommendations for patients with ischaemic heart disease continue to support it. To date, no studies have determined what heart valve surgery patients prefer in a cardiac rehabilitation programme, and none have analysed their experiences with it. AIMS: The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to gain insight into patients' experiences in cardiac rehabilitation, the CopenHeartVR trial. This trial specifically assesses patients undergoing isolated heart valve surgery. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine patients recruited from the intervention arm of the trial. The intervention consisted of a physical training programme and a psycho-educational intervention. Participants were interviewed three times: 2-3 weeks, 3-4 months and 8-9 months after surgery between April 2013 and October 2014. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants had diverse needs and preferences. Two overall themes emerged: cardiac rehabilitation played an important role in (i) reducing insecurity and (ii) helping participants to take active personal responsibility for their health. Despite these benefits, participants experienced existential and psychological challenges and musculoskeletal problems. Participants also sought additional advice from healthcare professionals both inside and outside the healthcare system. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the cardiac rehabilitation programme reduced insecurity and helped participants take active personal responsibility for their health, they experienced existential, psychological and physical challenges during recovery. The cardiac rehabilitation programme had several limitations, having implications for designing future programmes.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults with atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation may benefit adults with atrial fibrillation or those who had been treated for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is caused by multiple micro re-entry circuits within the atrial tissue, which result in chaotic rapid activity in the atria. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of exercise-based rehabilitation programmes, alone or with another intervention, compared with no-exercise training controls in adults who currently have AF, or have been treated for AF. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following electronic databases; CENTRAL and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, PsycINFO Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection Thomson Reuters, CINAHL EBSCO, LILACS Bireme, and three clinical trial registers on 14 July 2016. We also checked the bibliographies of relevant systematic reviews identified by the searches. We imposed no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCT) that investigated exercise-based interventions compared with any type of no-exercise control. We included trials that included adults aged 18 years or older with atrial fibrillation, or post-treatment for atrial fibrillation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently extracted data. We assessed the risk of bias using the domains outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We assessed clinical and statistical heterogeneity by visual inspection of the forest plots, and by using standard Chi² and I² statistics. We performed meta-analyses using fixed-effect and random-effects models; we used standardised mean differences where different scales were used for the same outcome. We assessed the risk of random errors with trial sequential analysis (TSA) and used the GRADE methodology to rate the quality of evidence, reporting it in the 'Summary of findings' table. MAIN RESULTS: We included six RCTs with a total of 421 patients with various types of atrial fibrillation. All trials were conducted between 2006 and 2016, and had short follow-up (eight weeks to six months). Risks of bias ranged from high risk to low risk.The exercise-based programmes in four trials consisted of both aerobic exercise and resistance training, in one trial consisted of Qi-gong (slow and graceful movements), and in another trial, consisted of inspiratory muscle training.For mortality, very low-quality evidence from six trials suggested no clear difference in deaths between the exercise and no-exercise groups (relative risk (RR) 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 15.78; participants = 421; I² = 0%; deaths = 2). Very low-quality evidence from five trials suggested no clear difference between groups for serious adverse events (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.05; participants = 381; I² = 0%; events = 8). Low-quality evidence from two trials suggested no clear difference in health-related quality of life for the Short Form-36 (SF-36) physical component summary measure (mean difference (MD) 1.96, 95% CI -2.50 to 6.42; participants = 224; I² = 69%), or the SF-36 mental component summary measure (MD 1.99, 95% CI -0.48 to 4.46; participants = 224; I² = 0%). Exercise capacity was assessed by cumulated work, or maximal power (Watt), obtained by cycle ergometer, or by six minute walking test, or ergospirometry testing measuring VO2 peak. We found moderate-quality evidence from two studies that exercise-based rehabilitation increased exercise capacity, measured by VO2 peak, more than no exercise (MD 3.76, 95% CI 1.37 to 6.15; participants = 208; I² = 0%); and very low-quality evidence from four studies that exercise-based rehabilitation increased exercise capacity more than no exercise, measured by the six-minute walking test (MD 75.76, 95% CI 14.00 to 137.53; participants = 272; I² = 85%). When we combined the different assessment tools for exercise capacity, we found very low-quality evidence from six trials that exercise-based rehabilitation increased exercise capacity more than no exercise (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.86, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.26; participants = 359; I² = 65%). Overall, the quality of the evidence for the outcomes ranged from moderate to very-low. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Due to few randomised patients and outcomes, we could not evaluate the real impact of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on mortality or serious adverse events. The evidence showed no clinically relevant effect on health-related quality of life. Pooled data showed a positive effect on the surrogate outcome of physical exercise capacity, but due to the low number of patients and the moderate to very low-quality of the underpinning evidence, we could not be certain of the magnitude of the effect. Future high-quality randomised trials are needed to assess the benefits and harms of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults with atrial fibrillation on patient-relevant outcomes.

Cardiac rehabilitation increases physical capacity but not mental health after heart valve surgery: a randomised clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The evidence for cardiac rehabilitation after valve surgery remains sparse. Current recommendations are therefore based on patients with ischaemic heart disease. The aim of this randomised clinical trial was to assess the effects of cardiac rehabilitation versus usual care after heart valve surgery. METHODS: The trial was an investigator-initiated, randomised superiority trial (The CopenHeartVR trial, VR; valve replacement or repair). We randomised 147 patients after heart valve surgery 1:1 to 12 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation consisting of physical exercise and monthly psycho-educational consultations (intervention) versus usual care without structured physical exercise or psycho-educational consultations (control). Primary outcome was physical capacity measured by VO2 peak and secondary outcome was self-reported mental health measured by Short Form-36. RESULTS: 76% were men, mean age 62 years, with aortic (62%), mitral (36%) or tricuspid/pulmonary valve surgery (2%). Cardiac rehabilitation compared with control had a beneficial effect on VO2 peak at 4 months (24.8 mL/kg/min vs 22.5 mL/kg/min, p=0.045) but did not affect Short Form-36 Mental Component Scale at 6 months (53.7 vs 55.2 points, p=0.40) or the exploratory physical and mental outcomes. Cardiac rehabilitation increased the occurrence of self-reported non-serious adverse events (11/72 vs 3/75, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac rehabilitation after heart valve surgery significantly improves VO2 peak at 4 months but has no effect on mental health and other measures of exercise capacity and self-reported outcomes. Further research is needed to justify cardiac rehabilitation in this patient group. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01558765, Results.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults after heart valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation may benefit heart valve surgery patients. We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for the use of exercise-based intervention programmes following heart valve surgery. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation compared with no exercise training intervention, or treatment as usual, in adults following heart valve surgery. We considered programmes including exercise training with or without another intervention (such as a psycho-educational component). SEARCH METHODS: We searched: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); MEDLINE (Ovid); EMBASE (Ovid); CINAHL (EBSCO); PsycINFO (Ovid); LILACS (Bireme); and Conference Proceedings Citation Index-S (CPCI-S) on Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) on 23 March 2015. We handsearched Web of Science, bibliographies of systematic reviews and trial registers (ClinicalTrials.gov, Controlled-trials.com, and The World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised clinical trials that investigated exercise-based interventions compared with no exercise intervention control. The trial participants comprised adults aged 18 years or older who had undergone heart valve surgery for heart valve disease (from any cause) and received either heart valve replacement, or heart valve repair. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently extracted data. We assessed the risk of systematic errors ('bias') by evaluation of bias risk domains. Clinical and statistical heterogeneity were assessed. Meta-analyses were undertaken using both fixed-effect and random-effects models. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence. We sought to assess the risk of random errors with trial sequential analysis. MAIN RESULTS: We included two trials from 1987 and 2004 with a total 148 participants who have had heart valve surgery. Both trials had a high risk of bias.There was insufficient evidence at 3 to 6 months follow-up to judge the effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation compared to no exercise on mortality (RR 4.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22 to 90.78); participants = 104; studies = 1; quality of evidence: very low) and on serious adverse events (RR 1.15 (95% CI 0.37 to 3.62); participants = 148; studies = 2; quality of evidence: very low). Included trials did not report on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the secondary outcomes of New York Heart Association class, left ventricular ejection fraction and cost. We did find that, compared with control (no exercise), exercise-based rehabilitation may increase exercise capacity (SMD -0.47, 95% CI -0.81 to -0.13; participants = 140; studies = 2, quality of evidence: moderate). There was insufficient evidence at 12 months follow-up for the return to work outcome (RR 0.55 (95% CI 0.19 to 1.56); participants = 44; studies = 1; quality of evidence: low). Due to limited information, trial sequential analysis could not be performed as planned. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that exercise-based rehabilitation for adults after heart valve surgery, compared with no exercise, may improve exercise capacity. Due to a lack of evidence, we cannot evaluate the impact on other outcomes. Further high-quality randomised clinical trials are needed in order to assess the impact of exercise-based rehabilitation on patient-relevant outcomes, including mortality and quality of life.

Availability of, referral to and participation in exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation after heart valve surgery: Results from the national CopenHeart survey.

BACKGROUND: As with ischaemic heart disease, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is recommended for patients undergoing heart valve surgery; recommendations are based on limited evidence. The organization of CR programmes and factors associated with uptake among patients undergoing heart valve surgery have not been studied. This study investigated CR programmes for these patients and factors associated with referral and participation. DESIGN AND METHODS: We distributed two nationwide surveys: one to 37 hospitals and 98 municipalities and one to 742 consecutive patients undergoing heart valve surgery. Data were linked to nationwide registries. We analysed the provision and content of programmes using descriptive statistics, and factors associated with referral and participation using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Coverage of CR programmes for these patients was high, with national programme variation. The overall uptake rate was 52%. Simultaneous CABG was associated with a higher probability of referral to CR (OR 2.02 (95%CI 1.12-3.65)); being unmarried (0.44 (0.27-0.72)) and having TAVI with a lower probability (0.26; 0.13-0.52). The referral pattern varied across administrative regions, with patients in the capital region less likely to be referred (0.22 (0.08-0.57)). Patients with TAVI were less likely to participate (0.29 (0.12-0.70)). CONCLUSIONS: Despite high national programme coverage, only half the patients post heart valve surgery received CR. Both factors identified at provider- and patient-level influenced uptake and included significant regional variation in referral pattern. Further research into the effect and organization of CR post heart valve surgery is needed.

Creatinine, eGFR and association with myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease and early death in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that moderately elevated plasma creatinine levels and decreased levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, and early death in the general population. METHODS: We studied 10,489 individuals with a plasma creatinine measurement and calculated eGFR from the Danish general population, of which 1498 developed myocardial infarction, 3001 ischemic heart disease, and 7573 died during 32 years follow-up. RESULTS: Cumulative incidences of myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease as a function of age increased with increasing levels of creatinine, and survival decreased (log-rank trends: <0.001). The median survival age was 78.7 (95%CI: 78.0-79.2) years for persons with creatinine levels <90th percentile, 78.1 (76.3-79.5) years for 90th-94th percentiles, and 74.8 (72.8-76.7) years for ≥95th percentile. Hazard ratios for myocardial infarction and plasma creatinine levels of 90th-94th percentiles and ≥95th percentile versus <50th percentile were 2.06 (95%CI: 1.67-2.56) and 1.90 (1.56-2.31) adjusted for gender and age, and 1.35 (1.09-1.68) and 1.11 (0.90-1.36) adjusted multifactorially, respectively. Corresponding estimates for creatinine and ischemic heart disease were 1.57 (1.33-1.85) and 1.64 (1.42-1.89) adjusted for gender and age, and 1.16 (0.98-1.37) and 1.11 (0.95-1.29) adjusted multifactorially. Finally, corresponding values for early death were 1.18 (1.06-1.32) and 1.43 (1.30-1.57), and 0.97 (0.87-1.09) and 1.13 (1.02-1.24), respectively. Low eGFR did not associate consistently with increased risk of these endpoints. CONCLUSION: In the general population, moderately elevated plasma creatinine was associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, and early death, while low eGFR was not.